6 AUGUST 19, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Addabbo pushes Con Edison to ensure reliability for hurricane season
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Queens Senator Joseph Addabbo held a meeting
with Con Edison offi cials in June to discuss
power outages in his district and the preparations
necessary for the hurricane season, which lasts
through November.
Addabbo said what prompted the meeting was the
frequency and duration of outages, particularly in
Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Middle Village.
According to Con Edison’s records, Howard Beach
suff ered outages in late April that left 600 customers
without power. Again in early May, 200 customers in
Howard Beach lost power. Additionally, Ozone Park
had an outage on May 9 that aff ected 1,400 customers,
while Middle Village has seen 19 outages since 2012
that interrupted service for nearly 9,000 customers.
Con Edison serves approximately 3.5 million customers
in the fi ve boroughs and Westchester.
“I lived in Ozone Park my whole life, and I noticed,
too, that the frequency and duration of these outages
were occurring even through a mild wind or
rainstorm,” Addabbo said. “My constituents should
not have to worry that their power will go out every
time there is a storm. Our electrical grid should be
able to handle these storms and provide power to
customers when they need it the most.”
Jamie McShane, the director of media relations at
Con Edison, said that they had invested $1.5 billion
in preparation for this summer and the hurricane
season.
The funds went toward new cables, transformers,
network protectors and other equipment. At the end
of every summer, Con Edison starts preparing for
the next summer.
“We do these investments every year and prepare
all year long,” McShane said.
Con Edison has also invested in research to
estimate the cost and benefits of putting lines
underground in vulnerable areas. This initiative,
called the “undergrounding pilot program,” looks
into Middle Village, Staten Island and Westchester
County.
“These projects cover approximately 200 customers,”
McShane said. “We’re conducting this pilot in
recognition of the fact that climate change is real
and severe storms are becoming more frequent and
more destructive for our customers.”
The estimated cost for placing lines underground
is $4 million in Middle Village alone.
McShane reassured customers that Con Edison is
extremely reliable and they are constantly updating
and revitalizing their systems.
“We are eight times more reliable than other utilities
around the country,” McShane said. “No system
is bulletproof. When outages occur, our crews respond
effi ciently.”
In a recent New York Times article about Con
Edisons climate change preparation analysis in
partnership with Columbia University, cited experts
who called their response the “gold standard.”
What the report found is that New York City could
soon see longer heatwaves than ever before. This
would mean Con Edison’s transformers and cables
wouldn’t be able to cool down overnight as they need
to. As a result, according to the Times article, the
company estimates their cooling equipment will
need to be 40 percent larger by 2040.
Addabbo has said that though he’s not entirely
happy with Con Edison’s preparations, he appreciates
their eff orts and will monitor the outages and
keep up with their work.
“We’ll see. We’re going into the storm season as
we approach the fall, and they have to be prepared,”
Addabbo said. “I’m pleased that they’re addressing
the issue, and we’ll see how we fare in the next mild
to a severe rainstorm.”
State Senator Joseph Addabbo
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
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